Causes of School Dropouts in Bengkalis
The issue of children not continuing their education in Bengkalis Regency, Riau Province, remains a significant challenge in efforts to improve human resource quality. According to data from the Bengkalis Regency Education Office, 3,011 children did not progress to the next level of education, with family economic conditions being the most dominant causal factor. Although this figure has decreased compared to the previous year, which recorded around 3,500 children, the number still indicates that fulfilling children’s right to education, particularly in the island region, faces various obstacles requiring serious attention.
The data represents an accumulation of children who did not continue their education over approximately the last ten years, and therefore does not reflect the number of dropouts in a single year. The information is sourced from the Basic Education Data (Dapodik) system, which records students after completing primary or junior secondary school but not progressing to the next level. The reduction in the cumulative figure was influenced by the return of some previously recorded dropouts to education through equivalency programmes, namely Package A, Package B, and Package C, organised by Community Learning Activity Centres (PKBM).
Various factors cause children to discontinue their education in Bengkalis Regency, with family economic conditions being the most dominant. Economic limitations push many children to choose work to help meet family needs rather than continue to higher levels of education. Additionally, some children stop their education due to disciplinary issues or because they were expelled from school, thus no longer participating in formal education.
The situation in Bengkalis Regency also reflects challenges faced at the national level. Based on the 2025 National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas) by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the number of Out-of-School Children (ATS) aged 7–18 in Indonesia reached 2,922,607. The 16–18 age group, equivalent to senior secondary level, was the largest contributor, exceeding two million children. Furthermore, according to the official dashboard of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education as of 1 April 2026, the national ATS figure was recorded at 3,966,858 children, comprising categories of Never Attended School, Dropouts, and Graduates Not Continuing. These findings show that the dropout problem is not only a challenge in Bengkalis but also a national issue related to efforts to equalise access to education, especially in island regions, remote areas, and zones with limited access to educational services.
Various handling efforts implemented in Bengkalis, particularly through optimising the role of Community Learning Activity Centres (PKBM) and organising equivalency education programmes, have contributed to the decline in the cumulative number of dropouts. However, an approach focused on recovery after a child stops schooling needs to be complemented by more systematic and sustainable prevention strategies, given that family economic limitations remain the main cause. In line with this, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is targeting the handling of 191,697 Out-of-School Children nationwide in 2026. This target can be an opportunity for local governments, including Bengkalis Regency, to strengthen synergy in accelerating prevention and handling efforts.
The problem of school dropouts in Bengkalis shows that improving human resource quality cannot be achieved solely through interventions in the education sector. Various factors, such as family economic limitations, the geographical conditions of the island region, and limited access to educational services, are challenges requiring integrated cross-sectoral handling. Therefore, more comprehensive and responsive policies are needed, including expanding educational assistance for underprivileged families on a by-name by-address basis, strengthening and extending the reach of Community Learning Activity Centres to densely populated areas and remote islands, collecting dropout data down to the village or sub-district level, providing one-roof schools and technology-based distance learning in areas with limited access, and enhancing inter-ministerial and institutional coordination as mandated by Presidential Regulation Number 3 of 2026 concerning the prevention and handling of Out-of-School Children. The implementation of these measures is expected to sustainably reduce the number of school dropouts while supporting the improvement of human resource quality in Bengkalis Regency.